Fort Myers mechanic warns heat can drain your car battery fast

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—When temperatures get hotter, cars can overheat just as much as we do.

Lou Moralis, owner of Lou's Total Car Care, said he's been seeing all the usual summer issues, including overheating engines and broken air conditioners. One issue that surprised WINK News was the number of drained car batteries.

By noon, the mechanics at Lou's Total Car Care had already seen three cars with battery issues.

"The heat drains as we walk in the sun, we come home, we're exhausted, we want to take a nap, kind of the same thing," Moralis said.

Iva Nelis was one of Moralis' customers who needed a full battery replacement. She said her car struggled to start before it eventually died.

"I would turn on my car, and it struggled to start, and I didn't think anything of it," Nelis said. "And then my dad took it yesterday to get it washed, and he came back, said my car died."

Nelis said she was grateful her car battery died in a controlled environment. Moralis said to prevent being stranded in this Florida heat, there are a few things you can do to keep your car healthy.

If your car is more than five years old or has 50,000 miles on it, Moralis suggests checking your fluid levels monthly. He said keeping fluid levels where they should be is critical to your car's performance.

"If a car takes five quarts of oil, it's down a quart; you're already compromising the engineer's design, just making it," Moralis said.

Moralis also recommends keeping an eye on all your gauges and staying up to date on regular services.

"Keeping an eye on your fluids, regular services are going to make everything last longer," Moralis said.

Another tip is to start your engine and let it acclimate, just like you would do if it's cold outside. Moralis said taking care of your car helps it take care of you and get you where you need to go.